Various societies around the world have become more and more dependent upon electrical equipment for industry and personal lives. Furthermore, this electrical equipment has become more and more complicated, with more and more devices utilizing sensitive electronics, such as computers for control and operation functions.
This electrical equipment can be overly sensitive to electrical fields, such as may be created by lightning or even solar events such as solar flares or sunspots. Furthermore, modern warfare techniques anticipate the use of Electrical Magnetic Pulse (EMP) weapons that can impact electrical equipment over large geographical areas. The electronics and wiring in electrical equipment can be seriously damaged or even destroyed by exposure to electromagnetic fields of sufficient strength such as may be created by the listed events, among others. Electrical transmission grids themselves are vulnerable to these events, since the long transmission lines and wire coils of transformers act as antenna for such fields, and hence can be adversely impacted by them.
Furthermore, electronic surveillance utilizing electromagnetic fields is also becoming a risk for those who desire to keep the communications and information confidential.
Desired are devices and methods to protect equipment from damage if and when such events occur. Also desired is a means to combat electronic surveillance.